About the Conference

U.S. Attorney Timothy Heaphy of the Western District of Virginia will deliver the keynote address at the 12th Annual Conference on Public Service and the Law, held at the University of Virginia School of Law on Feb. 11-12. The conference kicks off with a panel on impact litigation at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11 in Withers-Brown Hall room 102. Heaphy, a 1991 graduate of the Law School, will make his remarks on Friday at 5 p.m. in the Purcell Reading Room.

The conference is open to the public, and parking in Law School lots is open to visitors after 2 p.m. Friday and all day Saturday.

U.S. Attorney Tim Heaphy '91

Several Virginia legislators, including House Speaker William Howell ’67, state Sens. John S. Edwards '70 and Donald McEachin ’86, and Dels. Bill Janis ’99, David Toscano ’86 and Scott Surovell ’96 will gather to discuss their role as public servants on Feb. 12 at 10:45 a.m. in Caplin Pavilion.

Founded by UVA law students 12 years ago, the Conference on Public Service and the Law brings together students, faculty, attorneys and policymakers to explore public interest issues facing today's legal community and related career paths for young attorneys. This year's conference includes panels examining impact litigation, the First Amendment rights of pharmacists and doctors, human rights and the bullying of gay, lesbian and transgender students. Career panels will focus on women in public interest and public interest in the private sector.

Past conferences have drawn hundreds of law students and close to 100 panelists from across the country. Keynote speakers have included Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy '59, ACLU President Nadine Strossen, U.S. Supreme Court Justices Stephen Breyer and Samuel Alito, and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano '83, now secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Schedule

Friday, Feb. 11

2-7 p.m.
Registration (Clay Hall Reception Desk)

3:30-4:45 p.m.

Impact Litigation (WB102) Moderator: James E. Ryan '92, William L. Matheson & Robert M. Morgenthau Distinguished Professor of Law; F. Palmer Weber Research Professor of Civil Liberties and Human Rights; Director, Program in Law and Public Service, University of Virginia

Can the President Order the Assassination of Citizens? (WB126)Sponsored by Virginia Law Veterans
Moderator:Saikrishna Prakash, David Lurton Massee, Jr., Professor of Law; Sullivan & Cromwell Professor of Law, University of Virginia

Panelists:

U.S. Air Force Maj. Jeremy Marsh, Associate Professor; Vice Chair, International and Operational Law Department, Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School

Frederick Schauer, David and Mary Harrison Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Virginia

Conscience Protections: Smart Medicine or Dereliction of Duty? (WB128)Sponsored by Virginia Law Advocates for Life
Moderator:Douglas Laycock, Armistead M. Dobie Professor of Law, Horace W. Goldsmith Research Professor of Law, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Virginia

Jeffrey Francer ’99, Assistant General Counsel, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America

David Nelson, Former Congressional Investigator, Project on Government Oversight

10:45 a.m.-12 p.m.

Public Service as Public Servants: Virginia State Legislators (Caplin Pavilion)Moderator:Caleb Nelson, Emerson G. Spies Distinguished Professor of Law, Class of 1966 Research Professor of Law, University of Virginia

Timothy J. Heaphy '91

Keynote Speaker

Timothy J. Heaphy, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, served 12 years (1994-2005) as an Assistant U.S. Attorney with both the Western District of Virginia and the District of Columbia. During his time as an AUSA, Heaphy prosecuted a broad spectrum of criminal matters, including narcotics, weapons offenses, homicides, sexual offenses, white collar fraud cases and racketeering.

In 2002 and 2003, he was counsel for the United States in the longest-running criminal trial ever held in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia — a RICO prosecution of a violent drug gang in which the defendants faced capital punishment. He also briefed and argued more than a dozen criminal appeals. After moving to Charlottesville, Va., he spent three years prosecuting environmental, national security, narcotics, violent crime, and public corruption crimes as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Virginia.

Upon entering private practice, Heaphy joined the law firm of McGuireWoods as a partner. While there, his practice involved the representation of individuals and business entities in white collar criminal defense matters. He has specific experience in an array of subject areas, including securities, public corruption, environmental crimes, tax, government contracting, campaign finance, conflicts of interest, fraud and conspiracy.

In addition to his criminal defense work, Heaphy represented corporations in complex commercial litigation. He has been engaged in commercial disputes in disparate industries, including energy, transportation, telecommunications, manufacturing, food service and professional services.

Prior to his time with McGuireWoods, Heaphy worked as a litigation associate for Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco, Calif., and a law clerk for Justice John A. Terry of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

He received his Bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Virginia. In addition to practicing law, Heaphy has taught at the University of Virginia School of Law and lectured frequently at the U.S. Department of Justice's National Advocacy Center in Columbia, S.C.